Index tab or title protector



July 4, 1939. Trl-I. KRUEGER 2,164,928

INDEX TAB OR TITLE PROTECTOR Filed Jan. 30, 1937 NIW/. C2'. Hw ffm j? w 7g 5w 15' l ya 'IIN 1--7 16.. i ll lH /I J @im i7 HHH; |11 l 8 Hllrllmmlll-lIllmi'llmllllrllllumHmmllllllllllHTT I N VENT OR.

` it-adore ff/'Player Patented .uly 4, 1939 UNlTD STATES PATENT oFFlcE 7 Claims.

This invention relates to index tab or title protectors and is herein illustrated in some detail as embedied in cards and folders as used in files.

In the past makers of filing equipment have it possible to manufacture and place on the market folders and cards .carrying a variety of protected standardized indexings or titles, such as letters of the alphabet, days of the month, and days of the Week, by printing the indexing letters 10 or digits and then covering the printing with transparent sheets adapted to resist Wear and soiling.

Such covering ordinarily had to be vdone at the manufacturing plant where the printing Was l5 done, and, where identical titles or index headings were turned out by the thousand, relatively easy and cheap methods would be used to cover the printed words and digits with Cellophane or Celluloid.

A different problem Was presented when individual and specialized titles were written in private offices and typists attempted to cover the titles with Cellophane or other protective transparent covers. It was found almost impossible for .an average person to satisfactorily paste a piece of Cellophane, for example, over an index tab, or over a title, on a card, because the Cellophane wrinkled up, excess paste oozed out around the edge soiling the tab, or else too little paste was used. Moreover, the Water, or other liquid solvent, was less convenient, damaged the Writing by blurring the ink, and usually Warped the card in drying so that it did not lie flat. The operation, in addition, was slow and messy and usually soiled the operators fingers.

Since it is so impractical for the average user to apply transparent sheets as a protection to index tabs, the industry has found it necessary to resort to numerous very expensive substitutes, most of which consist of a metal or Celluloid or title holder, into which a separate loose strip of paper or cardboard can be inserted after the title has been Written on this loose separate sheet. Such metal or Celluloid frames often double the cost of the Whole index card. In fact, those which are made of sheet metal and riveted to the indexing cards often cost several times as much as the whole card costs. Nevertheless, the customers need for Writing his own title rather than buying a standard printing title is so great that many customers have paid this exorbitant price to achieve this end.

lfhen so-called Scotch tape Was used, in an endeavor to avoid some of the foregoing difficulties,

l it was found difficult to avoid Wrinkles in applying (Cl. 129--l6.8)

the permanently sticky and tacky tape and,

.mon-Jover, Scotch tape failed to give a reliably permanent and tight seal. Scotch tape was, therefore, useful only in highly skilled hands.

According to the present invention the foregoing and other difficulties are overcome, .and a protective coating is disclosed which is simple to apply, .cannot soil the card or file to which it is applied, does not make a mess, either on a card or on the ngers, and, in one preferred form is readily removable to make corrections `or alterations, if desired.

In the form of the invention described in some detail, the paper card or folder to receive the title is provided with a strip of transparent .covering material, such as cellulose acetate, adhering to the card or folder adjacent the space Where the title is to be written, but leaving that space uncovered. After the title has been Written in, a

folded-back extension or flap of the strip is folded down over the Writing and caused to adhere to the face ,of the card or folder.

The device of the invention is Well adapted to be manufactured on a large scale so that the cards or files may be shipped out With the flaps attached, but, preferably, bent back so that the uncoated face of the free end lies against the `face of the card or file, leaving open the tab or Aother area upon which it will be desired to write. The user then Writes upon the tab or other area which the flap is designed to cover, and nally folds down and sealsthe ap over the Writing.

The folded down flap Acompletely protects the Writing. It has been found possible to coat the folded down face of the flap with a normally nonsticky, non-adherent coating, which, upon the application of moderate heat .and pressure readily adheres to the card or folder and is easily smoothed down. The kind of adherent .coating described in some detail below is found to adhere better to the cellulose acetate film, than any .other known adhesive, is almost transparent., colorless and practically invisible in the .coatings of the present invention, and has a life of years, thus providing means for attaching an extremely thin almost invisible cellulose acetate strip .to the Vcard or folder.

The thinness of cellulose acetate and its great transparency, and its toughness, When thus applied enable records to be kept at a minimum of bulk, very easy to read, highly resistant to Wear, and yielding to ordinary bending, thus avoiding the objections to Celluloid and other heavier coverings Which add to bulk, often crack or become bent, and sometimes fall off.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 shows one form of folder ready to have written thereon a title which is to be protected.

Figure 2 shows the title with an overlying protective transparent film on the folder.

Figure 3 shows a modified form of protection as supplied on a card.

Figure 4 is an end View of the card of Figure 3 with the iiap folded down.

Figure 5 shows the title of Fig. 3 with the overlying protective transparent film, adhering to the card.

Figure 6 shows a modified form of protection, as supplied on the card.

Figure 7 shows the title of Fig. 6 with the overlying protective transparent lm adhering to the card.

Figure 8 is a sectional View of the line 8-8 of Figure 7.

In the form of the invention shown in Figure 1, an ordinary type of two-sided container or folder l is provided with a usual tab II which is to receive some index marking or title written across the tab, usually above the line of the upper edge I2 of the body of the folder.

In the form shown, the folder, just below the tab, carries on the inside face I3, a folded flexible strip of cellulose acetate film, so that an extension or part I of one face I5 of the film lies against the face I3 of the folder and adheres thereto. To cause the part I5 to thus adhere, it carries an adhesive coating I'I which adheres to the face I3 of the folder I0.

The other part I8 of the face I6 of the film carries an adhesive, preferably a transparent heat-softened, normally non-sticky adhesive coating I 9, which may be the same as the adhesive coating I'I, and may be an ester, or other synthetic gum, of low melting point, but preferably is the adhesive described below. In any event, the adhesive softens and adheres to the paper at a temperature below the temperature at which the paper scorches in applying it.

To make the preferred adhesive, parafline Wax having a melting point of 130 to 132 F. was melted and 6% to 30% of thin pale crepe rubber R. C. M. A. not more than 0.04 inch thick was quickly immersed in individual sheets at 200D F. soaked for fifteen minutes and the mixture agitated for two hours in a Warner-Pfleiderer class Ill type BB mixer. An age resistant such as 1/2 of hydroquinone could be added.

The iilm tape was coated by passing over a steam heated roll on the surface of which rode a doctor with a rounded edge. Properly adjusted, the doctor put on the film a transparent, almost imperceptible coating which hardened at once in the air and the lm was rolled up.

The ingredients (other wax was usable) were preferably so adjusted that the film became adhesive between 150 and 200 F.

It was found possible to substitute gutta percha for the rubber.

In the form shown the folder I0 carrying the folded-over strip Ill is Well adapted to be inserted in a typewriting machine and have written upon it the title shown in Figure 2.

When that or other title has been written, the part 8 may be turned on the fold and laid against the face I3 and smoothed down by a suitable hot tool. In default of a special tool it is even possible to smooth down and heat the part I8 by some lighted ordinary electric inthe card along candescent lamp bulbs,- and obtain a satisfactory adhesion.

It will be noted that the part I8 is shown in Figure 2 with its upper edge 2J, terminating just short of the upper edge I I, below the point where the lingers of a person looking through the file can catch the edge II.

Thus the title under the strip I4 is fully pro- -tected and is clearly readable as appears in Figure 2.

The card-catalog card 22 shown in Figure 3 may have a title typed or Written upon its upper line, 23 and then the flap 24 of transparent cellulose acetate, or other lm, bent over the upper edge 25 of the card and smoothed down, as with a hot iron, over the upper line 23 so as to` firmly adhere to the face of the card 22 as seen in Figure 5.

To attain these ends, the flap 24 is shown as coated with one of the heat-softened adhesives referred to above so that the adhesive will hold it to the face of the card. The iiap 24 is shown as an extension of a sheet 26 or film held to the back of the card along its upper edge. The sheet 26 may be held to the back of the card by the same kind of adhesive as that carried by the flap 24.

The card 22, with its flap 24 bent back to lie against the back of the card is well adapted to be written upon in a standard typewriting machine without injury to the flap or machine, and then have its flap 24 sealed down to cover the writing. Often, such a card is partly cut away to leave the writing on a projecting tab like the tab I I.

The guide card 21, is shown in Figure 6 with a iiap 28, of which a part 29 adheres to the card 2l, while the free length 3E) is long enough to extend from the part 29 over the top of the tab 3I, and, if desired, down the opposite face of the tab. Thus a catch heading or catch letter may be written on the tab 3| and the film length 30 fastened down over it. If desired the catch heading may be written or typed on the side of the tab opposite the side of the card to which the flap adheres so that it is covered by the free end of the iiap coming down over the end of the tab.

The heat sealed adhesive described above has many advantages for most purposes, though it often is possible to use many other commercial adhesives which may be water-softened, or softened with some other solvent.

It is possible to' substitute other films especially cellulose derivative films, such as viscose films, or films with a viscose base, or pyroxylin lms, for the cellulose acetate films. Some films may need a plasticizer, but all those named adhere well to the heat-softened paraliine-waX-rubber adhesive named above.

The heat-softened paraliine-wax-rubber adhesive has the further advantage that a strip or cover held down by it may be released by applying the same heat used in sealing it down. When released, it may be lifted and any desired change made in the underlying notations or writing.

Having thus described certain embodiments of the invention, what is claimed is:

1. A sheet adapted to receive a title, a strip of non-adhering but transparent flexible material lying near the location where the title will come, an extension of the strip adhering to the sheet, and a normally non-sticky water-insoluble transparent coating on the non-adhering strip adapted to seal the strip to the sheet under heat and pressure to cover the title and dependent upon the presence of parafne for low melting and dependent upon the presence of rubber for adhesion.

2. A sheet adapted to receive a title near an edge, a strip of transparent flexible material attached near said edge and having an extension adapted to overlie the title but not adhering to it, and a normally non-sticky Water-insoluble transparent adhesive on the extension adapted to seal the extension down over the title When hot pressed against the sheet at the title and dependent upon the presence of paraiiine for 10W melting andl dependent upon the presence of rubber for adhesion.

3. A sheet adapted to receive a title near an edge, a strip of transparent flexible material attached near the edge, a free extension of the strip adapted to overlie the edge and cover the title, and a normally non-sticky Water-insoluble transparent adhesive on the extension adapted to seal the extension down over the title and around the edge when hot pressed against the sheet at the title and dependent upon the presence of parafne for loW melting and dependent upon the presence of rubber for adhesion.

4. A sheet adapted to receive a title, a strip of transparent flexible cellulose acetate base film adhering to the sheet and having a non-adhering extension adapted to overlie the title, and a normally non-sticky Water-insoluble transparent coating on the non-adhering extension adapted to seal the extension to the sheet under heat and pressure to cover the title and dependent upon the presence of paraiiine for low melting and dependent upon the presence of rubber for adhesion.

5. A sheet adapted to receive a title near an edge, a strip of. transparent flexible cellulose acetate base lm adhering to the sheet and having a non-adhering extension adapted to overlie the title but -to end clear of the edge, and a normally non-sticky water-insoluble transparent coating on the non-adhering extension adapted to seal the extension to the sheet under heat and pressure and dependent upon the presence of parafflne for low melting and dependent upon the presence of rubber for adhesion.

6. A sheet adapted to receive a`title near an edge on the face, a strip of flexible transparent cellulose acetate base lm adhering to the back of the sheet and having an extension adapted to bend over the edge and cover the title, and a normally non-sticky Water-insoluble transparent coating on the extension adapted to seal the eX- tension to the sheet on the title under heat and pressure and dependent upon the presence of paraiilne for low melting and dependent upon the presence of rubber foradhesion.

7. A paper sheet adapted toreceive a title near an edge on the face, a strip of ilexible transparent cellulose acetate attached to the sheet below the space for the title and having an extension reaching across the title and beyond so that its end will bend over and lie behind the sheet, and a normally non-sticky coating adapted to seal the extension to the sheet on the titleunder heat and pressure.

THEODORE H. KRUEGER.. 

